Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D81/00—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents
  • B65D81/02—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents specially adapted to protect contents from mechanical damage
  • B65D81/05—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents specially adapted to protect contents from mechanical damage maintaining contents at spaced relation from package walls, or from other contents
  • B65D81/09—Containers, packaging elements, or packages, for contents presenting particular transport or storage problems, or adapted to be used for non-packaging purposes after removal of contents specially adapted to protect contents from mechanical damage maintaining contents at spaced relation from package walls, or from other contents using flowable discrete elements of shock-absorbing material, e.g. pellets or popcorn
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31D—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES B31B OR B31C
  • B31D5/00—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional [3D] articles
  • B31D5/0039—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional [3D] articles for making dunnage or cushion pads
  • B31D5/0043—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional [3D] articles for making dunnage or cushion pads including crumpling flat material
  • B31D5/0047—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional [3D] articles for making dunnage or cushion pads including crumpling flat material involving toothed wheels
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31D—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES B31B OR B31C
  • B31D2205/00—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles
  • B31D2205/0005—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles for making dunnage or cushion pads
  • B31D2205/0011—Multiple-step processes for making three-dimensional articles for making dunnage or cushion pads including particular additional operations
  • B31D2205/0064—Stabilizing the shape of the final product, e.g. by mechanical interlocking
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10S493/00—Manufacturing container or tube from paper; or other manufacturing from a sheet or web
  • Y10S493/967—Dunnage, wadding, stuffing, or filling excelsior
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
  • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
  • Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
  • Y10T428/24—Structurally defined web or sheet [e.g., overall dimension, etc.]
  • Y10T428/24479—Structurally defined web or sheet [e.g., overall dimension, etc.] including variation in thickness

Definitions

• the invention herein described relates generally to a system and method for making a coiled strip of dunnage.
• a protective packaging material or other type of dunnage material is typically placed in the shipping container to fill any voids and/or to cushion the item during the shipping process.
• Converted paper dunnage material is an exemplary protective packaging material. The conversion may be accomplished by a cushioning conversion machine that typically causes inward turning of the lateral edges of sheet stock material to form a continuous strip of cushioning.
• the strip of cushioning may be "wound up" into a coil configuration to form a "coil" of cushioning product.
• the coil of cushioning product might then be placed in the shipping container and the large/heavy item placed thereon, and another coil of cushioning product might be placed on top of the item, if necessary or desired.
• a taping device can be used to secure the trailing end of the coiled strip to the coil, thus facilitating handling of the coil as it is removed from the coiler and placed in a container. While such a taping device has provided an acceptable means of securement, further improvements in means for maintaining the strip of cushioning in a coiled configuration would be desirable.
• the present invention provides a system, and associated components and methodology, for securing juxtaposed portions of one or more crumpled strips of dunnage, such as for securing the trailing end of a coiled strip of dunnage to the balance of the coil to prevent or inhibit unwinding of the coil.
• features of the invention may have a wider application for securing together juxtaposed portions of dunnage to hold the same together.
• the present invention provides a dunnage-producing system having a dunnage supply having an outlet through which one or more crumpled strips are supplied, a positioning device that positions in juxtaposition s portions of one or more strips of dunnage, and a stapler for connecting the juxtaposed portions to hold them together.
• a stapler is a device that inserts a staple into or forms a staple in the juxtaposed portions of dunnage to be connected. More particularly, a stapler is a device that can be inserted from one side of the juxtaposed o portions to form and/or insert a staple and then withdrawn with the staple left to hold together the juxtaposed portions. Moreover, a staple is a device that has a head or insert end portion that can be inserted into at least one of the juxtaposed portions of dunnage that is configured, preferably by its own resilience, to present a dimension larger than the opening through which it was 5 inserted, thereby inhibiting or preventing its withdrawal in the reverse direction.
• the staple also preferably includes a tail or retainer end portion connected by an intermediate portion to the head portion.
• the tail portion inhibits or prevents passage thereof through the opening or passage into the strip of dunnage through which the head portion was inserted.
• the stapler can be of a type that is operable to form a staple from at least one of the juxtaposed portions and to insert the staple into another of the juxtaposed portions, thereby to mechanically lock together the juxtaposed portions.
• the staple can be in the form of a tab that is cut from at least one of the juxtaposed portions.
• the stapler can be of a type that is operable to insert at least one staple, such as a plastic staple, into the juxtaposed portions.
• the system can include a coiler operable to roll the crumpled strip of dunnage into a coiled configuration, in which case the stapler is operable to connect a trailing end portion of the strip of dunnage to an adjacent, next-innermost portion of the strip in the coil.
• the positioning device can be located at the outlet of a cushioning conversion machine or converter that converts a sheet stock material into a crumpled strip of dunnage.
• the coiler rolls the strip of dunnage into a coil, and the stapler can secure the trailing end portion of the strip of dunnage to at least the next-innermost portion of the strip in the coil by inserting a staple through the trailing end portion and the juxtaposed portion of the coiled strip.
• the present invention also provides a method of making a dunnage product that includes the steps of supplying one or more crumpled strips of dunnage, juxtaposing portions of the one or more strips, and stapling the juxtaposed portions together.
• An exemplary juxtaposing step includes rolling the strip of dunnage into a coiled configuration, in which case the stapling step includes stapling a trailing end of the strip to a juxtaposed next-innermost portion of the strip in the coil.
• An exemplary stapling step includes inserting a plastic staple having a cross-bar at one end through the strip of dunnage, a paddle at the opposite end for resisting passage through the strip of dunnage, and an elongated filament interconnecting the cross-bar and the paddle.
• An alternative stapling step includes cutting a tab in the strip of dunnage and pushing the tab into the strip.
• the present invention also provides a dunnage product made from a sheet stock material having juxtaposed portions of one or more crumpled strips of dunnage secured together with a staple.
• FIG. 1 is a partial elevational view of an exemplary embodiment of a system according to the present invention, including a coiler, as an exemplary positioning device, that rolls the strip of dunnage into a coil, and an exemplary stapler that connects juxtaposed portions of dunnage, e.g., the trailing end of the strip to the next innermost turn of the coil.
• a coiler as an exemplary positioning device, that rolls the strip of dunnage into a coil
• an exemplary stapler that connects juxtaposed portions of dunnage, e.g., the trailing end of the strip to the next innermost turn of the coil.
• FIG. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary strip of dunnage for use with the system provided by the present invention.
• FIG. 3 is a partial cut-away elevational view of a dunnage converter for supplying a strip of dunnage.
• FIG. 4 is a partial elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 with the addition of a schematic illustration of a coiled strip of dunnage.
• FIG. 5 is a partial elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 with additional illustration of the operation of the stapler.
• FIGS. 6 and 7 are side and top elevation views, respectively, of the exemplary stapler of FIG. 1.
• FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a plastic staple for use in the stapler shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.
• FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a coiled strip of dunnage secured by the staple shown in FIG. 8.
• FIG. 10 is a side view of the coiled strip of FIG. 9.
• FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of a stapler provided by the present invention.
• FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of the operation of the stapler shown in
• FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of the staple formed in the strip of dunnage by the stapler of FIG. 11.
• an exemplary dunnage-producing system according to the invention is indicated generally at 10.
• the system includes a dunnage supply 12 that supplies a crumpled strip of dunnage, a positioning device 14 that positions in juxtaposition portions of one or more strips of dunnage, and a stapler 16 for connecting the juxtaposed portions to hold them together.
• An exemplary strip of dunnage provided by the dunnage supply 12 is formed of one or more plies of sheet stock material, specifically paper, and more particularly three-ply kraft paper, such as the strip of dunnage 20 shown in FIG. 2.
• the illustrated strip of dunnage 20 includes a pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending pillow portions 22 separated by a relatively narrow central band 24. Layers of stock material in the central band are connected together to maintain the shape of the strip of dunnage.
• An exemplary dunnage supply 12 includes a dunnage converter 30 (see FIG. 3) that is operable to convert one or more plies of sheet stock material (typically kraft paper) into a crumpled strip 20 of relatively less dense dunnage, such as that shown in FIG. 2.
• the exemplary dunnage converter 30 shown in FIG. 3 has a stock supply assembly (not shown) that supplies a multi-ply sheet stock material, such as from a roll, a conversion assembly 34 that crumples the sheet stock material and turns the lateral edges of the plies P ⁇ P 2 , P 3 of sheet stock material inward, and a feeding/connecting assembly 36 that pulls the stock material through the forming assembly and connects the sheet stock material generally along the central band 24 (FIG. 2).
• the illustrated dunnage converter also includes a severing assembly 40 for severing the completed strip of dunnage once a desired length has been produced.
• the strip of dunnage 20 exits the converter through a discharge chute 42 which forms the outlet of the converter 30.
• Exemplary dunnage converters are shown and described in U.S. Patent No. 5,123,889 and in published PCT Patent Application No. PCT. US01/18678 which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
• Other types of dunnage and dunnage converters can be used, including other types of paper dunnage converters, plastic air pillow converters, etc. As shown in FIG.
• the positioning device 14 can be a coiler 50 mounted to a downstream end of the converter 30 to receive the crumpled strip of dunnage 20 as it exits the discharge chute 42.
• the leading end of the strip 20 passes between a pair of capture members 52 that receive the strip and then rotate as the strip continues to exit the converter 30, rolling the strip into a coil.
• the capture members 52 continue to rotate until the trailing end of the strip is free of the discharge chute 42.
• An exemplary coiler is shown and described in published PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US98/22726 which also is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
• the stapler 16 connects the trailing end portion of the strip of dunnage to a juxtaposed portion of the next innermost turn of the coil.
• An exemplary stapler 16 can be an Avery DennisonTM Industrial System 1000® Bench Mount fastener attaching unit 60, available from the Avery Dennison Fastener Division in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
• the stapler 16 is mounted to frame member 54 by a shuttle assembly 60.
• the shuttle assembly 60 includes a carriage 62 driven by a pneumatic actuator 64 for advancing and retracting the stapler 16 into and out of engagement with the coiled strip of dunnage formed by the coiler 50.
• the fastener attaching unit 60 has a needle 66 for penetrating into the juxtaposed portions of the strip and for rapidly injecting a staple therein, the operation of which is explained in the following paragraphs.
• FIG. 8 An exemplary staple 70 inserted by the stapler 16 shown in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 8.
• the staple 70 has a flexible crossbar 72 at a head end for insertion through the strip of dunnage, a relatively inflexible paddle 74 at the opposite tail end that resists passage through the strip of dunnage, and an intermediate portion in the form of an elongated filament 76 that interconnects the crossbar 72 and the paddle 74.
• Such staples typically are attached by inserting the crossbar end of the staple first through the strip of dunnage.
• the crossbar end of the staple is preferably oriented to present a dimension that is much greater than the opening through which it was inserted, thereby resisting being withdrawn through the passage in the strip of dunnage.
• the paddle end of the staple serves to keep the paddle end of the staple from being pulled into the strip.
• the staple 70 is inserted into a portion of the strip of dunnage that has some loft, such as the pillow portion 22 of the strip of dunnage 20 shown in FIG. 2, to facilitate the ability of the crossbar 72 to orient itself to resist pull-through in a reverse direction.
• the paddle end, the filament and the crossbar end are integrally formed from a plastic or a synthetic resin such as nylon or polypropylene, in a shape generally resembling a letter "H".
• the coiler stops and the stapler 16 is advanced toward the center of the coil, generally radially, until it engages the coiled strip of dunnage.
• the needle 66 is advanced to penetrate into the coil.
• the stapler 16 fires a staple through the needle 66 into the coil as shown in FIG. 5.
• the stapler 16 returns to a start position (FIG. 4) and the coil can be ejected from the coiler 50 without fear of the coiled strip uncoiling.
• FIGS. 9 and 10 An exemplary coiled dunnage product 80 provided by the present invention is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.
• the dunnage product is made from a sheet stock material in the form of a strip of dunnage 20 of the type shown in FIG. 2.
• the strip of dunnage is rolled into a coil shape, and the outer end portion of the strip 82 is stapled to the next innermost turn of the coiled strip 84 with the type of staple 70 shown in FIG. 8.
• the paddle end 74 of the staple protrudes from the coiled strip in FIG. 9, and the filament 76 can be seen extending between juxtaposed portions of the strip in FIG. 10.
• a pair of staples 70 also are shown taped to the surface of the coiled strip for reference.
• Such staples may include a staple having an arrowhead tip for penetrating the juxtaposed portions that resiliently expands upon insertion to resist retraction and a wide base connected to the tip by a shaft that presents a dimension that is greater than the opening in the strip of dunnage to resist being pulled into the strip.
• Such a staple may also include one or more resilient barbs that further resist withdrawing the staple from the juxtaposed portions of dunnage.
• Another exemplary stapler 16 is shown in FIG. 11. In this embodiment, the stapler 16 is operable to form the staple from the strip of dunnage itself.
• the stapler forms a tab in the strip of dunnage and pushes the tab into the strip.
• the illustrated stapler 16 includes a one or more punches 90 projecting from a bar 92.
• the stapler typically would be positioned to array the punches across the width of the strip of dunnage.
• each punch is generally cylindrical, with an inclined face 94 on a distal end thereof.
• the peripheral edge 96 of the inclined face cuts a tab in the strip of dunnage as it is advanced therein.
• a control mechanism 98 of any known type may be used to controllably drive the punches into the juxtaposed portions of one or more strips of dunnage to form the tabs therein.
• the tab acts as a staple formed from the strip of dunnage itself.
• each punch 90 cuts a tab 100 generally having a C-shape with a hinge 102 at one side that connects the tab to the dunnage strip.
• the tab 100 has a width dimension 104 parallel to the hinge 102 that is greater than a width dimension 106 of the hinge.
• the tab 100 tends to resist being withdrawn therefrom. Consequently, when a punch cuts a tab 100 from a portion of a strip of dunnage 108 and is pushed into a corresponding opening created in a juxtaposed portion of a strip of dunnage 110, the tab holds the juxtaposed portions of stock material together.
• the various operative components of the system 10 may be controlled by a logic device or controller (not shown), in a suitable manner.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Making Paper Articles (AREA)
• Manufacturing And Processing Devices For Dough (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

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Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (1)

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• 2003
  • 2003-11-05 AT AT03778124T patent/ATE419112T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-11-05 US US10/702,225 patent/US20050065009A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-11-05 AU AU2003286907A patent/AU2003286907A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-11-05 DE DE60325633T patent/DE60325633D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-11-05 EP EP03778124A patent/EP1560700B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-11-05 WO PCT/US2003/035262 patent/WO2004041527A1/en not_active Ceased
• 2007
  • 2007-07-30 US US11/830,396 patent/US20080020184A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2009
  • 2009-04-30 US US12/433,473 patent/US7803100B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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